Battery-electric scooters the answer to high delivery costs
With benefits like these, the market cannot afford to overlook the option of changing delivery fleets from conventional motorbikes to electric scooters.
Online orders and the demand for delivery has exploded since Covid-19. This comes at a high cost to drivers and courier companies.
With green solutions like electric scooters, traditional delivery methods such as motorbikes and cars are simply uneconomical and outdated. That is why the adoption rate of electric scooters for short-distance transportation is increasing as companies move to more economical and greener solutions.
Electric scooters have proven to be reliable and have a track record of saving money for delivery companies worldwide. Some benefits of using electric scooters for delivery applications include lower running costs, improved safety, easy storage, better security and zero emissions.
“To demonstrate to the local industry just how efficient electric scooters are, we showcased our S5 electric scooter at the recent Futuroad Expo in Gauteng. With an operating cost of 6c per kilometre, at a base energy price of R2/kW, they save you lots of money,” said Rick Franz, CEO of the Applied Electric Vehicle Energy Reticulation Systems Africa (Aeversa). “This makes electric scooters an investment that is more sustainable, eco-friendly and socially acceptable than conventional delivery motorbikes.”
Electric scooters are nippy and deliver parcels quickly, quietly and cost-effectively. They have few moving parts and need little servicing at longer intervals, resulting in less downtime and more time on the road working for you. Servicing an electric scooter is also cheaper than conventional motorbikes.
“Electric vehicles are approximately 10 times more efficient at converting energy into motion than internal combustion engines, resulting in massive savings when one switches one’s short-distance transportation fleet to electric.”
Aeversa, a pioneer in the new-energy transport market, consults the industry on the best ways to convert to battery-electric vehicles. It offers a “complete solution”, from specifying the required vehicles to planning and installing charging infrastructure. Its product offering includes maintenance and flexible financing options for infrastructure and vehicles. The company’s commercial electric fleet product range comprises battery-electric 3.5-tonne trucks, battery-electric panel vans and a range of electric scooters.
Franz explained that going electric will give you a competitive advantage in the market. “The savings with delivering electric are huge -in money, time and the environment. The concept is actually very simple. Electric scooters save on servicing and energy costs. When you add up all the costs, internal combustion engine scooters are much more expensive to own.”
It is easy to recharge electric scooters. Plug them into any standard three-pin 15A wall socket to recharge or use a high-speed 30-minute fleet charging system. Charging is not restricted to your base of operations as the drivers can recharge wherever they find a power outlet. Being able to use household plug points means you need no special infrastructure. Aeversa’s scooter range also offers a dual battery system where one battery is left at your depot charging while you drive with the other. It takes less than a minute to change a battery, giving one a range of 65km to 85km per battery.
The chargers are rated with an empty to full charge time, but the S-Series electric scooters can be partly charged too. This is called opportunity charging. If you charge the battery from empty to full daily, you will use less than R200’s electricity per month, assuming a R3/kW electricity price.
The efficient 3kWh Bosch electric motor in the S5 electric scooter ensures maximum battery life and range. The S-Series comprises three models, the S5, S8 and S10. The dual battery system of the S10 provides a range of approximately 180km at different driving speeds of around 60 to 100km/h. If driven faster, at around 110km/h, its range will be approximately 160km.
“Electric scooters are designed to go easier on the environment and reduce your carbon footprint. However, quick and cost-effective deliveries mean happy customers and happy merchants. With the high fuel price impacting the cost of deliveries, electric scooters will reduce your monthly cost by 50% to 60%,” concluded Franz.
Source: QuickPic
